Hair wax is a popular styling product for men who want to create textured hairstyles with natural flow and volume. The best hair wax is often made with performance-based ingredients that offer a flexible hold and healthy, natural shine. Whether you’re styling a textured messy style or a sleek brushed back flow, a highly-rated styling wax can make all the difference in your look.
Some men will want a matte wax with a high hold for maximum control and a textured finish on short thick hair and others may prefer a light to medium hold styling product for enhanced volume and flow on longer styles. For a versatile formulation, choose a hair wax that has been blended with a pomade, cream or fiber to achieve the perfect combination of benefits. The best hair wax brands have perfected their products to deliver consistent performance, from hold to definition and grit.
In this article, we’ll show you some of the best hair waxes for men, including styling products that provide a strong to light hold and matte to low shine finish.
13 Best Styling Waxes For Men’s Hair
TIGI Bed Head For Men Workable Wax
TIGI Bed Head For Men Workable Wax is a top-rated styling product on the market and provides just the right hold and texture for a stylish look. This hair wax is great for all hair types and will hold every strand in place well into the night with a matte finish. The product is effective for adding volume, body and flow to hair. This water-based wax has an excellent, humidity-resistant hold that isn’t greasy and won’t flake.
Made with high-quality natural ingredients, this styling wax is formulated with beeswax, carnauba wax and fiber polymers, which add flexibility and definition. The formula also has ozokerite, a mineral wax that gives hair pliable texture so a hairstyle can be reshaped without losing its hold. This great smelling wax comes with a faint floral-herbal scent but won’t overwhelm you or irritate sensitive skin.
Old Spice Hair Styling Fiber Wax
Old Spice Hair Styling Fiber Wax is a popular hair styling wax product offering a low to medium hold, making it an excellent choice for guys looking to create textured hairstyles. This lightweight wax feels like a hybrid blend of cream and paste, ensuring it goes on clean without residue or buildup. The product does add some shine, giving your hair a healthy look.
Like other fiber products, this wax adds volume so it’s great for styling straight, fine hair. Mineral-based ozokerite wax is the primary ingredient and as formulated together with mineral oil and other moisturizing ingredients, it conditions, hydrates, and protects hair from humidity. Straight out of the container, the wax has a coconut scent, but once it’s applied and dried, the fragrance dissipates.
Gatsby Moving Rubber Hair Wax
Gatsby Moving Rubber Hair Wax is one of the strongest styling products on the market and can help men create a trendy short to medium hairstyle that will last all day. This hair wax comes with an extra high hold and low to no shine matte finish for a textured look that is perfect for modern spiky styles. This product is made with a polymer that bonds to hair strands and keeps hair movable.
This hair wax has a creamy consistency that’s easy to apply. When used sparingly, it doesn’t harden to a crunchy finish, so a hairstyle can be reshaped several times a day. The product is a blend of three soft waxes, one of which is candelilla, a plant-based, vegan alternative to beeswax, that is known for its vitamin-rich benefits for hair and skin. The wax has a light fragrance that can be described as “green apple”, offering a sweet smell that most guys who are sensitive to scents won’t mind.
As a top-rated brand, the company offers a range of hair wax products with different holds. Some guys may prefer the Air Rise line for a moderate hold with a textured finish that is perfect for short to medium hair, while others might want to get the Wild Shake for a strong hold with more shine that is better suited to shorter styles.
SexyHair Styling Wax
SexyHair Styling Wax has a lightweight and creamy consistency that goes on smooth and tames wild hair into a manageable mane. The wax has a high hold that can withstand humidity for days. This product will provide a shiny finish so it works best on dry hair. If you have curly hair, you can work the wax through and define your ringlets. For short to medium-length hair, this styling wax has enough holding power to create and shape any men’s hairstyle.
Formulated with four types of wax, this blend gives control while maintaining styling flexibility. This hair wax is also enriched with panthenol, which nourishes and strengthens damaged hair, while the safflower-seed oil will help promote healthy growth.
Hanz de Fuko Sponge Wax
Designed with natural and certified organic ingredients, Hanz de Fuko Sponge Wax will nourish and style your hair to perfection. This styling product is recommended for all hair types, but it’s great for thick and hard-to-manage hair. The wax has a pliable medium hold and semi-matte finish, giving guys the flexibility to create all the most popular hairstyles.
As a paraben and cruelty-free product, you’ll find an impressive ingredient list of nourishing oils that cleanse, protect and strengthen hair while the botanical extracts stimulate follicles, relieve scalp irritation and promote new growth. The light vanilla scent is derived from the seed pods of the vanilla tree, offering a pleasant smell most men will like.
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Styling Wax
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Styling Wax offers a flexible hold with a natural shine, making it an excellent and easy to use hair product for men. The pliable hold is created with liquid paraffin and the many botanical extracts will give your hair a natural, healthy shine. The product adds texture to shorter, layered hairstyles and definition to wavy or curly hair. This brand is famous for their natural, ethically sourced ingredients, and this wax is rich in vegetable clarifiers, nutrients and conditioners.
The primary ingredient is tea tree oil, which penetrates the scalp and treats irritation and dandruff. Jojoba oil strengthens and nourishes hair with essential vitamins, chamomile oil protects hair from damaging UV rays, and white ginger has long been used as a conditioner by native Hawaiians. This lightweight wax keeps your hair naturally styled and restores its health.
Oribe Rough Luxury Molding Wax
Oribe Rough Luxury Molding Wax is a must-have styling product for guys who want to create a stylish hairstyle with volume and a soft textured finish. With the right amount of hold, shine and pliability, this hair wax will keep your casually cool and flowing hairstyle in place without weighing down your look. When warmed between your hands, the wax melts into a cream that allows you to run it smoothly through hair, adding volume and definition.
Formulated with beeswax and lanolin wax, this product is packed with vitamins, minerals, and botanical extracts that work together as antioxidants, antibacterials, and enriching conditioners. Its ingredients are safe for color-treated hair, skin sensitivities, and provide UV protection. Certified by PETA as cruelty-free, this luxury hair wax is also free of parabens, gluten and sulfates.
While more expensive than other options, this high-quality wax is worth the money if you care about the products that you put on your scalp and into your hair.
Redken Wax Blast Spray
Redken Wax Blast Spray is a finishing hair spray that keeps hair soft and pliable. It’s highly recommended for fine hair because a few spritzes add volume. This unique aerosol wax spray isn’t for achieving a well-groomed look, but instead, it’s made for guys who want that tumbled-out-of-bed look. By simply misting it lightly over dry hair and tousling hair into place, the spray gives a flexible medium hold with a satin shine that creates a clean, matte finish.
Redken products are made with the highest-grade ingredients, and this wax spray is formulated with microcrystalline wax and polymers that cling to hair and make it fuller. For all the benefits of this product, if you’re allergic or sensitive to scents, the spray does have a strong added fragrance.
Fatboy Water Wax
Fatboy Water Wax offers endless versatility for guys who like to style many different looks. Made for medium to thick coarse hair, this water-soluble wax adds shine without a greasy finish. It’s also ideal for adding definition to curls and keeping a pompadour slicked in place. You can apply it to dry hair for a textured hairstyle with a natural gleam or use it on damp hair for a glossy, wet look.
As a paraben and sulfate-free product, this wax is made with natural ingredients like castor oil, wheat protein, and wheat starch. These ingredients work to seal in moisture while the fruit-based humectants keep hair soft and manageable. This hair wax has the light pleasant fragrance of tea tree oil and won’t overpower cologne, offering a great smell that most guys will appreciate.
Blind Barber 60 Proof Wax
Blind Barber 60 Proof Wax has become one of the most popular matte styling products for men who want a medium hold and volumizing, matte finish. This hair wax combines carnauba wax, ozokerite wax, soybean oil, and hops (yes, as in beer) to create a non-greasy water-based product that imbues hair with a naturally healthy shine
This lightweight wax is made for all hair types and will add extra definition and manageability to thick, thin, wavy and curly hair. Hops have been used for centuries as a means of cleansing and invigorating the scalp, which in turn prevents dandruff, slows down hair loss, and volumizes your style for a fuller look.
To achieve maximum control and texture, it’s best to apply the wax to towel-dried hair and gradually work it through. The wax gets its scent from the tonka bean, which is like vanilla but with woodsy-spicy undertones.
OSiS+ Cream Wax
OSiS+ Cream Wax is for short to medium hairstyles that require lots of texture and separation. The wax has an ultra-strong hold with a low shine that can hold up under extreme conditions. Its creamy consistency makes it easy to work through hair that can then be shaped into any style.
This product is formulated with four types of wax that lock in moisture and add body and control to untamable hair. Its other ingredients make hair flexible so a hairstyle can be remolded and re-textured as often as you wish. For such a high-quality hair wax, it’s also one of the most affordable products on our list.
American Crew Liquid Hair Wax
American Crew Liquid Hair Wax is a versatile hybrid styling product that consists of wax and gel, allowing you to experiment with the look that’s right for you. This liquid wax provides a medium hold that won’t set hard like a gel and works like a firmer cream to add pliability and texture, especially to thicker hair.
The formula is resistant to humidity and controls frizz, and its conditioning ingredients will highlight your natural shine. It applies easily to wet or dry hair and won’t leave a tacky or crunchy finish. With a light cologne scent, this great-smelling hair wax offers a masculine fragrance that won’t overwhelm you.
Jack Black Wax Pomade
Jack Black Wax Pomade is great for grooming out-of-control frizzy hair and adding shine and luster to beards as well. This fragrance-free product has a medium hold that keeps hair in place with enough flexibility to shape and reshape a hairstyle. The wax pomade has multiple certified organic ingredients that have been dermatologist tested.
The product gets its holding power from non-toxic, vegan candelilla wax, which also protects hair from losing natural moisture. Its other key ingredients are a proprietary blend of botanical and seed extracts that are high in antioxidants, antibacterials, moisturizers, and conditioners that cleanse and nourish both hair and scalp.
How To Choose The Best Men’s Styling Hair Wax For Men
Hold
Hair wax is a versatile and popular styling product for men with short to medium-length hair. Most wax products are made with a combination of natural ingredients such as beeswax, carnauba wax, ozokerite and candelilla. These ingredients are blended with polymers, which cling to hair strands and hold them in place, creating the holding power you need.
The difference between hair wax, pomade and clay is that wax offers more styling flexibility and options. Hair wax won’t harden but stays pliable so a hairstyle can be reshaped throughout the day.
Most wax styling products come in a high or medium hold strength. A strong wax offers an all-day hold for thick, straight and curly hair that has a highly structured style. These high-hold products are also effective at keeping unruly, frizzy hair in place in high humidity and wind.
Light to medium hold wax products are ideal for guys who want a natural, touchable style that can be reshaped without losing its general structure. Medium hold is the better choice for men with thin hair since it’s a lighter product and won’t weigh your locks down.
Shine
Hair waxes are formulated with different types of oil, which moisturize and protect hair and add shine. Many hair waxes have a low to medium shine which imbues hair with a healthy glow.
Other hair waxes have a no shine or matte finish for a softer, natural look. For guys who have a dramatic hairstyle and want a pomade’s hold without the greasy appearance, look for a hair wax with a high shine.
Scent
While some have added fragrances, you can find a styling wax that derives its scent from natural ingredients. Hair waxes are marketed to men and women so the manufacturer will add a scent that has unisex appeal, which can be herbal, floral or fruity. The scent is generally mild and will dissipate once applied.
Some hair wax products have a scent that is chemically derived and overpowering. If you have sensitive skin or don’t like powerful scents, you’ll want to choose a fragrance-free hair wax or one that gets a light smell from botanical extracts.
Natural Ingredients
These hair waxes are formulated with naturally derived waxes and oils. If you read the ingredients label, you may see what appears to be unpronounceable chemicals. Most of the time these are just the scientific name for an emulsifier (for keeping the wax pliable), a mineral or a botanical. These don’t need to be cause for alarm.
It’s important to avoid wax products that have petrolatum (petroleum jelly), sulfates, phthalates and silicone, which can damage hair and cause severe skin conditions. If you’re ecologically minded, many hair waxes are now vegan and cruelty-free.
